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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. kid — child
  3. wound — an injury
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. suit — clothes
  7. current — of water
  8. scale — in music
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. kid — to tease
  11. scale — size or range
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. row — to paddle
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. current — happening now
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. suit — in cards
  18. saw — the tool
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. wound — an injury
  21. row — a line
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. saw — the tool
  24. current — electric

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com